


The Aftermath

by marsbarsandcookiejars



Series: Course of Events [2]
Category: Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-10-20 20:49:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20681732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marsbarsandcookiejars/pseuds/marsbarsandcookiejars
Summary: Part Two of the Course of Events series, won’t make sense without part one.A small look at how they worked their ways back to each other.





	The Aftermath

Veronica was surprised to see Logan at school. It had only been a week. The only reason she was back was to get away from her mom. 

She was even more surprised when she noticed the way people were talking about and looking at Logan. Whispering behind their hands, sneering at him from across hallways and classrooms. She was also hurt that every time she tried to meet his eye, he turned away from her. The final straw was at lunch. When he came to sit at their table, the other 09er’s kept moving around, effectively blocking him out. Veronica was seething. Indignation rose up her chest and into her cheeks and she was beet red. 

“What the hell is wrong with you guys?” A dozen questioning eyes looked up at her. 

“What are talking about, Mars?” 

“Why are you treating him like this?” Her eyes tingled and her palms were clammy. She was standing now, and she stole a glance at Logan. He shook his head, almost imperceptibly, and squinted his eyes at her. 

“Why would we want to sit with him? His dad’s a psychopath.” 

“Yeah, but he’s not. Some friends you are.” She’d wanted her words to sound cold and dripping with venom, but really they came out as a choked sob. She tried to stride confidently to Logan’s side, but she stumbled a little and her legs were shaking. She wanted to look like a fierce protector as she pulled Logan away from them, but she looked shell-shocked and nervous instead. She dragged him to an empty table and pulled out her cellphone to order them a pizza. Logan just sat there, staring at her quietly. It was a while before he said anything.

“You hate bell pepper on pizza.” 

“It’s your favorite.” Silence. “Do you hate me because my dad arrested yours?” 

“Do you hate me because my dad killed your best friend?”

“No.” It fell out of her mouth easily and she didn’t realize how true it was until that moment. Logan looked at her like he looked at the brain teaser they showed on morning announcements. Finally, he shook his head.

“I don’t hate you. I also don’t hate your dad.” 

“I hate your dad.” She clapped a hand over her mouth, surprised she’d said it. She looked at him warily. 

“Yeah, me too.” 

They sat in silence until the pizza came. Once they started eating, they were able to talk about normal things. Keith has gotten Veronica a puppy. Logan was going surfing in Mexico for Thanksgiving. They talked about school and pep squad. They talked about TV and what books they were reading. Veronica teased him because he never let anyone know he could read, let alone that he did it for fun. It felt so normal. 

And afterwards they both felt guilty. How could anything be normal with Lilly gone? So they avoided each other the rest of the day. And again the next day, until lunchtime rolled around. Then it happened again and they repeated the cycle all week. It wasn’t until the next Monday that Veronica said something.

“It’s not normal.” 

“No, it’s not.”

“But it feels right. To talk to you. We are friends, I mean we’ve been friends forever. It  _ shouldn’t  _ feel weird to talk to each other.” 

“I guess, yeah.” 

“So we should stop ignoring each other just because we feel guilty about enjoying each other’s company.” 

“Yeah, probably.” 

“I’m glad you agree. I’m baking cookies for pep squad today. You’re gonna help me. Be at my house at 4.” Logan nodded and Veronica smiled. And soon it was 10 o’clock at night and Logan was passed out in a sugar coma on Veronica’s living room floor, with her leg flung across his chest while she dozed on the couch above him, Backup snoring loudly in his lap. South Park was playing on the tv and popcorn was scattered on the floor. When Keith walked in and saw them, he was sad he had to wake them and send Logan home. 

~

Duncan came back to school the second week of November. The first couple of days, he sat with the 09er’s and Logan pretended like it didn’t hurt, but it did. It hurt a helluva lot more than when Duncan pushed him against a locker at the end of his third day back.

“What’s going on between you and Veronica?” 

“Nothing, dude we’re friends.”

“That’s not what I’ve heard.” 

“Putting stock in the Neptune High rumor mill is something we stopped doing a long time ago, DK.” Duncan loosened his grip a bit, but not enough before Veronica saw them. 

“What the hell, Duncan?!” At first, Duncan didn’t notice her small frame trying to push him off of Logan, but once he did, he let go and backed up. “He’s supposed to be your best friend! It’s bad enough you’re pretending he doesn’t exist, but now you’re shoving him into lockers?” Duncan was shocked at the fierceness coming from the small girl. All he could do was stare at her. She let out a harsh chuckle. “Oh that’s right, I don’t exist anymore either. Listen, when you’re done pretending that you’re happy sitting with a bunch of dim-witted brown-nosers, your real friends will be sitting at the lunch table everyone else avoids like the plague.” Duncan flinched at her words that, this time, did come off as cold and venomous. She grabbed Logan’s wrist and this time when she walked off, she strode confidently through the halls. This time, she did look like a fierce protector as she shot daggers at anyone who dared to look at them. 

The next day, Duncan sat down quietly next to Logan at lunch. Veronica looked at him once, and continued to chatter away about her new puppy. After they finished eating, it got quiet. 

“I hate him too, ya know.” Logan looked down at his empty takeout container when Duncan looked up at him. Duncan nodded and opened his mouth to say something just as the bell rang. Logan and Veronica got up and started walking towards the school. When they noticed Duncan wasn’t walking with them, he waved them on. He needed time to think. Logan was his best friend, his brother. It wasn’t his fault Aaron killed Lilly and he hated him for it too. Veronica has obviously made it her mission to keep him out of harm's way, so there was no Logan without Veronica. Duncan decided he could live with that, that actually he wanted that. He had already lost Lilly, he’d be damned if he was going to lose another sister. 


End file.
